Sunday - October 28

Saturday - October 27

Day off again today as I continue to recover from the half marathon. I THINK I need to take some time off, but I WANT to begin running again. It's a challenge to force myself to refrain, but I will do what I must.

Friday - October 26

Bike

41m 54s

14.60 miles

20.91 Mi/hr

I got off work a little early today, so I had enough time to get in a "test the legs out" ride. I wasn't trying to push too hard the first time back in 2-3 weeks.

Wearing cold weather gear (and of course working out in cold weather) is going to lead to slower speeds. That much is inevitable, so I just need to accept that. I don't think I'll be pushing a 22 MPH average anytime soon.

Really though, that doesn't matter. What matters is the effort. Once the weather warms up, and we can shed layers, the speed will return. Right now it's more about logging the miles and putting in a strong effort.

Thursday - October 25

I almost had an opportunity to get a bike ride in after work today, but it didn't quite come together. I think the day off will serve me well, again. I can tell my body is thanking me for the respite. I might have the chance to get a ride in tomorrow if things break right. Otherwise I'll try this weekend, and maybe do a little 3 mile run to test my legs out again.

Wednesday - October 24

Swim

55m

1859.14 yards

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Long drill workout today.

Started with 100m warmup.
Drills for 900m.
500m medium pace, focusing on form and breathing every 3 strokes - 10:30.
200m cooldown.

Total time in pool was 55 minutes. This was a good workout to do as my legs are still a little sore today. It is a gorgeous day right now, and any other week I'd be tempted to go for a bike ride. But I don't want to put any more stress on my legs at this point.

I think I'll probably take tomorrow off and maybe Friday as well. I really want to give my legs plenty of time to recover. I'm most concerned about my right knee, as it's still feeling sore and has some crepitus. I'm concerned about a meniscal tear, so I need to give it plenty of time to calm down. If I have time, I'll try to do a ride on the weekend, as that shouldn't bother my knee too much. I want to take at least a week off from running altogether.

I think I'm done with racing for 2007. It's been a good year. I feel like I have a strong base to build on for next year now. I think I might back off on training overall for 2-3 weeks to allow my body time to recuperate. I have some long term goals in mind, so I'll need to get those put down in writing here soon.

Sport

Walking

30m

Spread fertilizer on the lawn, then went for about a mile walk because the day is just too nice to neglect.

Tuesday - October 23

Monday - October 22

Rest/recovery day. Any workout today would be foolish, as I am quite sore. Both quads and calves are sore, and the right knee is sore with a little crepitus. None of these are too bad on their own, but cumulatively, I'm too sore to workout. But doing anything other than walking the day after a race probably isn't too smart, anyway.
With another day behind me, I'm feeling better about yesterday's result. I didn't turn in the time I wanted, but reviewing what the other runners had to say, not many people did. It was almost a mortal lock that someone would run the full marathon under 2:20, but no one even came close. The winner was 2:23. Second was 2:26. The women's winner wanted to be around 2:50, but she won at 3:00 flat.
Most complaints were about the wind, but I didn't even notice the wind until after we were done. I guess since it's been windy during enough of my training runs, I've just gotten used to it. I noticed it being warm more than windy. About 10 degrees cooler would have been desirable.
Tyler, we're going to both go under 1:30 in April at the Relays half, OK? Doug, you're welcome to join us, but you may have other plans around that time, right?